Elves Among Us
by The Hobbit Ivy
Summary: What would happen if Legolas never left the mortal world? And what happens when he stumbles upon the only other elf who stayed too?


**A/N: Okay, here's what I have to say about this story, before ANYONE reads this: **

**This is my take on what would happen if Legolas did not go to the Havens. And the fact that he meets a girl is completely Mary-Sue, I know, but I was writing this and enjoying writing it. ****I've been writing this on and off for the last two years, and I was never sure if I was going to post it, but I've never encountered another story like it, so I figure it has a spot somewhere in this web of fanfiction. **

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Rimeril and all the animals and made up people they encounter mine.  
Legolas Not mine. -_Cry_-**

* * *

**_Elves Among Us_**

Hat pulled low over his face, the man walked through the lonely parking lot to his car. He took his keys out and with a shrill _beep_, it unlocked. He slid calmly into the cool leather seat and inserted the key into the ignition, as always, and shifted into drive.

He maneuvered the car out of the lot, thinking about what he had just seen in the theatre. He had taken the afternoon to watch the first movie of three; The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring. It had amazed him, but nonetheless, there was no surprise ending; nothing he did not know already. Every actor of the fellowship, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Ian McKellen, John Rhys-Davies, and Sean Bean did a wonderful job portraying their characters. He especially enjoyed Orlando Bloom's performance, as he was most anxious to know how he had portrayed his character.

For he, the mysterious man with shadowed face and icy eyes, was Legolas. Many thought that after he had settled down in Ithilien he sailed but no. He had waited patiently for a day when true love would come to him, and for thousands of years he has waited.

He drove on and on... out of the lonely town. For two hours he drove, rarely changing lanes and rarely turning. He stared straight ahead, occasionally and needlessly checking the mirrors for other cars, but none passed him and none came.

After about two hours of driving, he finally came to a stop, where his house stood, in its lonely location surrounded by trees. Legolas pulled up into the garage, and turned the car off. With a sigh, he unlocked the door to his house and entered.

With a joyous '_Woof!_', his chocolate Labrador bounded up to him and reared on his hind legs, trying to lick his master's face. Legolas rubbed the dog's ears lovingly and kissed its head. "Maer hu, Erebel (Erebel Lonely Star)," Good dog, Erebel he praised softly.

The dog licked Legolas' hand and silently padded after his master into his bedroom.

The house from the outside looked like a plain wooden cabin. It had a long drive up to it off the road, and the path split often; many of the paths leading to dead ends. The size of the house was large, and its detail was intricate. Only if you looked closely would you notice tiny runes and symbols that showed the love of who labored upon it. Over the doorway, read:

_Im deri an min ai innas penia lain nín._

_I wait for one who will set me free _

And all around it were designs of leaves and vines. Golden filigree was painted into many of the leaves, and this showed how long this person had worked on such a project.

From the inside of the house, there was a kitchen. There was a stove in one corner, and a refrigerator stood humming in the other. A cold pantry was there, containing many items of food for cooking, as well as a large sack on the floor of the pantry containing dog kibble.

There were only four rooms in the house, not including a bathroom and a closet; one kitchen, one large sitting room with a high ceiling, and two bedrooms. Routinely, Legolas wondered why he had built a spare room, as he was unlikely to come across anyone who would stay even a night. He took off his hat and pulled at the band holding his hair up, letting his long blonde hair fall out of its tied position. Throwing the hat behind him, he heard it land softly on the hat rack he had nailed to the wall. He unbuttoned his shirt, but left it on.

Erebel hopped joyfully onto the bed, wagging her tail playfully and looking at him expectantly. He smiled and started to rub her belly. Erebel closed her eyes, and soon appeared to be asleep, but as soon as Legolas straightened up to walk away, one ear quirked, and she was up again, wanting to be right next to her master at all times. Legolas chuckled and made his way into the kitchen to sort out what he was going to eat for dinner.

* * *

Tears leaked down the woman's face as she ran for her life, escaping the footfalls of her pursuers. She could feel every footfall of theirs through the earth; she could hear their every ragged and rank breath. She even heard the soft, yet sharp _click_ of their guns being cocked and loaded.

How had she ended up like this? The three men, for one reason or another, wanted her. They had chased her in both her car and on foot. Once they had gotten as far as here, they had shot both of her back tires, and her car had gone out of control and crashed violently into the forest, and another misaimed shot killed her best friend Susan. Not knowing what to do, she had forced herself out of the car, and started painfully running.

She could have easily escaped the hunters on foot under any other set of circumstances, but she had not been in this condition for years... Her arm was broken from the crash, her head felt light, her ankle throbbed; she was bruised all over her body. True, she was wearing track shoes, jeans, and a casual grey t-shirt,

* * *

Legolas heard a commotion about a mile outside of his house. He dropped the sandwich he was eating and leapt out the door. With a shrill whistle, he started running into the forest. He heard hooves behind him, and soon he felt the presence of his horse, Tálter (_Insecure one_), galloping behind him. As the horse drew level with him, he quickly grabbed the mane of the beast and vaulted up onto its back. Soon, he saw a woman running towards him, and slowed the horse.

The woman got a glance of him, before she crumpled into a heap on the ground. Legolas leapt off the horse with ease, and gathered her up in his arms. He pushed her on the horse, and as he mounted onto the horses back again, he heard the men within fifty feet of them. They had spotted him and the unconscious woman. Legolas let out another pattern of shrill whistles. In the distance, he heard a chorus of howls and a single low growl.

Within seconds, there was a pack of wolves and a single grizzly bear upon the three men. All of them screamed, and started to run away, attempting to aim and shoot their guns at the wild beasts on their heels, but it was in vain, for the wolves and the bear were commanded by their master, and they were not going to give up.

Tálter reared up on his hind legs, and sped off to where Legolas' cabin was. Legolas heard misjudged shots behind him, as Tálter's footfalls echoed throughout the lonely forest. Legolas slowed down the horse with another whistle, and dismounted. He heard the three men in the distance being scared off by the wolves. He heard their feet stumble over rocks and fall when he listened to the earth's vibrations. Legolas knew that the wolves would not attack, only scare them out of the forest. The bear on the other hand, he had no control of whether it attacked or not.

He reached up onto the horse and gathered the woman up into his arms carrying her like a baby. She groaned and moved in his arms, before seeming to drop into a sleep rather than back into an unconscious state. He carefully opened the door into his house, and briskly walked into his room to deposit the woman there.

Quickly, he left the room to find any herbs to alleviate her obvious pain.

* * *

"_Where am I?_"

"You are in my bed, in my house, in the middle of the forest, on September the 29th, and it is currently 4 in the afternoon," was her answer. She jumped, having not noticed the man sitting beside her. She obviously had not realized that she had voiced her question aloud.

"Right..." she said. "Thank you for your explicit detailing."

"You hide your identity well, my lady," Legolas said casually, "Rimeril _crown of roses_ of Lothlórien." The lady hung her head.

"Lothlórien is no more." She said sadly.

"Do you think my home is any better?" he asked, gesturing outside.

"I am sorry." She answered. "Thank you, by the way," she added.

"You are welcome." Legolas said. "If you would allow me, I wish to wrap your arm up. It will not heal unless the bone is splinted."

"Yes... please do." She said. She tried to hold the arm up, but winced in pain. Gritting her teeth, she let Legolas wrap her arm up.

"It should heal within a week." Legolas said, sitting down on his bed and observing her carefully. She was still traumatized from her bout with the three hunters, she was in pain; she looked like she was sad, too.

"Thanks again..." she said, starting to stand up and walk out of the room.

"If you want, we can go to a doctor and have them put a human's cast on your arm." Legolas commented.

"No... I don't think that's necessary, Prince. I'm sure your splint will work well enough." She said, for the first time noting his title.

"You may stay here, if you wish to." Legolas added, as she started to walk towards the door.

"I can't... I really need to..." she paused, trying to think up an excuse. She had not been in contact with a single elf for thousands of years... why was she walking away from one? And how was she going to go anywhere? She had no car left... and this was an opportunity to become a friend with someone who won't go and _die_ on her... "Yes. That would be nice." She said.

Legolas smiled his dashing smile. Erebel bounded up and started licking Rimeril's hand. She giggled. "That is Erebel." Legolas said. She looked up.

"What a cute little puppy," she said, squatting and giving the dog a kiss between its eyes. The dog started to lick her face and she fell over laughing. Erebel pranced above her, nosing her face and wagging her tail vigorously. Legolas held out a hand to Rimeril and helped her stand up.

"Are you hungry at all? I have plenty of food."

"Yes, thank you. That would be lovely," she answered. She walked into the kitchen going over the events that had happened to her. She was an elf, and her wounds did not bother her _too_ much, though she walked with a slight limp because her ankle felt sprained. Legolas had taped that up.

Legolas walked to his stove and turned it on. Tiny flames erupted in the bottom. He took a pot out of a cupboard below the stove and filled it with water then set it on the stove to boil.

He then asked her, "Do you like chicken soup?"

"Yes, I do... soup sounds nice." She sat down, feeling relieved to have the weight off of her foot, though her neck still throbbed and she was exhausted as her body healed itself.

"What happened?" Legolas asked. "I hope you don't mind, I only have cans of soup," he shrugged.

"I don't mind... but what is the boiling water for?" she asked confused.

"Tea," he answered.

Rimeril began to think over the previous events again... Before she started, she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for her deceased friend. "I was driving out into the country with my best friend Susan to my house, when I noticed somebody was following me. I turned onto the dirt road to here, and he turned. So I did my best not to crash into the trees while I tried to lose them in the forest. One of them shot my tire and caused me to go headlong into one of the larger oak trees... another shot at us killed Susan. I escaped from the car and started to run, but I accidentally tripped over a rock in my clumsiness... which sprained my ankle. I don't know why they were chasing me..."

"I'm sorry about your friend," Legolas said as he handed her a mug of hot tea. It contained an herb for healing. Legolas poured himself some tea as well, and dipped in a peppermint tea package. The microwave beeped. Legolas walked over to it and brought out two bowls with steaming soup. He gave her one and sat down with his own. Rimeril thanked him and dipped her spoon into her soup. They ate silently for a while, before curiosity got the better of Rimeril.

"Why are you living all the way out here? You know you could have moved into a city and lived there," she said.

"I live out here because I spent so much time around humans in the beginning to the point where I could not bear the pain of being around mortals any more, so I moved out here. Here time stands still, which is what I feel like after such a long time. I have searched for others who have stayed behind but I have never come across another..." he said sadly. "Which is why it's so refreshing to have you, an elf, with me here."

"I can't believe that this whole time I've been living in the shadow," Rimeril said softly. "I've been living about five hours from here for the last 20 years and before that it was about an hours drive from this cabin... how is it that I've never seen you?"

"It matters not," Legolas said as he finished his soup off. "We both know that we're around now..."

"I would help you cleaning up, but I don't think I could do more than hobble around and break things..." Rimeril said apologetically.

"Again, it matters not. I will wash up... You can watch TV or something," Legolas offered, pointing into the living room. She looked inquisitively.

"Why did you buy a television?" she asked warily.

"You didn't think I'd stay in the Stone Age forever, did you?" Legolas smirked. Rimeril rolled her eyes and hobbled over to a couch facing a television. She found the remote on the seat beside her and clicked it on.

"Good evening and welcome to the nine o'clock news. I am Shelly Havrand with several breaking stories. First, three hunters out in the woods were badly injured today by a pack of wolves and a grizzly bear this afternoon. They are all currently in the hospital and are in critical condition." Shelly Havrand said as a picture of a woodland area and a grizzly bear showed in the corner of the screen. "Next, there have been several..."

Somebody knocked on the door.

Legolas, who had silently come into the living room to watch the news whipped his head around. He ran to the window and looked out to see a man holding a large camera, and a woman holding a microphone.

'_Reporters..._' Legolas realized. '_They'd find Rimeril and...'_ "Rimeril, go into my bedroom," Legolas ordered. "_Now_." He added when she looked like she wanted to know why. Rimeril sighed and walked into Legolas' bedroom. She closed the door, but she listened intently to what was happening outside in the room.

The reporters knocked impatiently again. Legolas made sure his hair covered his ears, and he silently padded to the door. He unlocked it and stared curiously at the reporters.

"Hello, I'm Elissa Danet, reporter from CNN. May we come in for a few minute? We have a few questions for you," she said before Legolas could open his mouth.

"Of course, Miss Danet," Legolas said with a slight country accent, stepping away from the door and allowing them to enter. The cameraman turned the camera on, and Elissa Danet made herself look suitable before she sat on the couch.

"Hello, I'm Elissa Danet from CNN. I'm here with..." she looked at Legolas.

"Taylor Richtor," Legolas said, using the alias that he had used for the last two hundred years or so (he changed it every so often).

"...Yes, Taylor Richtor," she said, recovering quickly. "You live here?"

"Yes, ma'am, I do." Legolas said with his slight southern accent.

"Then, are you perhaps aware that three hunters are in critical condition in the city hospital, injured in this woodland area? Did you hear anything? See anything?" Miss Danet asked. The cameraman was hovering beside them.

"No, Miss Danet." Legolas said innocently. "I had no idea that that happened here in my lonely wood, Miss Danet." Legolas said. "I did hear the bear roar, though," he added. He was playing stupid, and he knew it.

"You heard the bear roar..." Elissa Danet repeated. "And you thought nothing of it?"

"No, Miss, not at all. I've lived here for a while and that darned bear roars all the time... I didn't find it different at all." He answered.

"You say that you've lived here for a while... how long have you lived in this wood?" she asked.

"Going on eight years, ma'am," Legolas said. Of course that was a lie. He'd been in this wood for about 50 years.

"That is quite a long time, young sir," she said with raised eyebrows. She obviously thought Legolas was about 23, and Legolas was hard put not to laugh at that absurdity.

"Yes, Miss Danet, it surely is." Legolas said.

"I'm Elissa Danet with CNN, goodnight," Elissa Danet said to the camera. She said an inconsiderate goodbye to Legolas and said something when she was outside of the door to here cameraman, "That was absolutely useless... He's a hick!"

Legolas listened to their track back to their car, and waited a minute before going to Rimeril again.

"Reporters? Why wouldn't you let me talk to them? And what was with the accent, and the 'Miss Danet' thing?" Rimeril said very fast as soon as Legolas opened the door to his room.

"If the reporters saw you, they'd assume you had something to do with it, so they would have questioned you instead. The accent was just for a bit of fun on my part, and the Miss Danet thing gets on her nerves, so I figured I might as well push her buttons..." Legolas allowed himself a smile.

"But I know how to deal with reporters!" Rimeril said exasperately.

"I assumed so, but in your condition they would have been relentless," Legolas argued. Rimeril sank down onto the bed.

"You don't happen to have another bedroom, do you?" she asked helplessly. The elf was handsome beyond all belief, yes, but at the moment he was pushing _her _buttons.

"Interestingly enough, I do... but it's up a flight of steps... can you handle it?" Legolas asked worriedly.

"If I can escape three hunters in the woods on foot, I can tackle these steps of yours," Rimeril said with a small smile. She stood up and limped to the door, which Legolas held open for her. There was only one flight of steps, so Rimeril clung to the railing with her good arm as she worked her way up the steps. Her ankle must be badly sprained- a small sprain had never been this painful to her before! But it would be better in the morning, because her body will have rested.

Legolas was next to her again. He did not hold her arm and help her up, because the arm on his side was broken, but he did help at the top of the stairs. There was one door upstairs, and that was the bedroom door.

"Goodnight," Rimeril said. There was a heavy silence between them.

"Goodnight," Legolas finally murmured awkwardly. He turned on his heels and it was all he could do to not flee down the stairs like a whipped dog. What about this girl scared him so much?

Late in the night, he lay awake, unable to rest, pondering about this girl who had just shown up outside his door. It was Erü's will that brought her here... but why? Erebel leapt up and nuzzled his naked side. He scratched her ear, and her tail thumped the bed.

When rest finally did come to him, he dreamt of Rimeril's stormy eyes, and of what lay behind those haunted orbs.

* * *

When Legolas woke, he did not want to get up. He felt as if his body had rested but his mind had not. He had not had such a restless night in 6 millennia. He blamed it all on the girl. Her voice and her face had floated in and out of her dreams... he barely knew this girl! Was he _that_ desperate for a friend? For love?

Erebel woofed and pounced on him, seeing that he was awake.

"Alright, Erebel... get off of me. I'm up," he said tiredly. Erebel licked his cheek and he climbed out of bed. He was about to go to the kitchen to cook breakfast, but paused at the door. There was a lady in the house now... he should at _least_ wear a shirt.

'_I'll have to get used to this...'_ he thought resentfully. He had gotten used to wearing whatever he wanted to whenever he wanted to.

To his surprise, the girl who had haunted his dreams was standing at the stove cooking bacon. Her hair was mussed up from sleep, her pants were wrinkled, and she looked as if she hadn't slept either, but she was beautiful. Legolas had noticed it yesterday... but why hadn't he seen the way her lips curve? The way her eyes held a mystery waiting to be solved? The way she had a gentle blush in her cheeks...

"Good morning," she said noticing his stare... had he been staring? He hadn't even noticed...

"Morning," he muttered, his eyes cast down to the ground.

"I took advantage of your washing machine, if you don't mind..." she said shyly. And she had. She was standing there, cooking bacon in just a sports bra and jeans. Legolas examined the floor, finding it suddenly very interesting.

"Are you blushing?" she asked. She seemed in a much better mood this morning.

"I do not blush, my lady," Legolas said. He brought his gaze up to hers, unfaltering. "I merely wonder why you must tempt me, to be honest."

It was Rimeril's turn to blush. "I do not tempt you, my lord, to merely tempt you. I tempt you to test you," she said. She turned to the bacon on the stove. She located the prongs and brought the sizzling meat out of the pan and onto a plate. When she finished that, she pulled out eggs and made scrambled eggs right there in the bacon fat.

"You cook well," Legolas said.

"Thanks," she said. "It's kind of difficult to do with one arm, though," she muttered sheepishly. Legolas started. How could he not have noticed! Her arm was still broken!

"Let me help you," he said. She held up her palm to stop him.

"No, this is my temporary repayment," she said. "I will find a way to repay you in full when the time comes for your hospitality."

"It won't be necessary..." Legolas said.

"But what _will_ be necessary is my stuff," she said.

"Your... stuff?"

"Well... seeing as my ankle is almost healed, a miracle in itself, I figured I would..." she trailed off.

"Would you like to stay here a while?" Legolas asked, extending the hand of invitation that he knew she wanted.

"You read my mind," she said with a stare.

"What can I say? Greenleaf privilege," he answered.

* * *

An hour after that, (Rimeril had a shirt on again, which only _slightly_ disappointed Legolas) they got into Legolas' car and set off. Legolas got to the highway, and Rimeril started giving him directions. She lived far away, about a 5 hour drive from Legolas' cabin. She lived in a small but wealthy neighborhood. They pulled into her driveway, and Legolas gaped.

"You _live_ here!" he exclaimed. Her house was massive.

"I do," she answered, getting out of the car. "The front door is locked, but I believe I've hidden a key somewhere around here..." she walked over to one side of the house. When she came back, she was holding a golden house key.

"Don't just stand there," she said after unlocking the door, "come in!" she invited.

Inside was magnificent. "This must have cost a fortune to buy," he said.

She shook her head, "I worked with an old man and his wife for six years in a jewelry store. They were very wealthy, and when they died they left their house and all their possessions to me." She laughed. Her laughter carried all throughout the empty house. "Only problem is, I don't have anyone to share it with. It is only me, myself, and I," she said.

The entrance hall was huge, the kitchen was huge, the study was huge, _everything_ was huge... there was even an exquisite pool outside!

"It would be great to live here," Legolas said.

"Well stay, won't you?" she asked, changing the earlier plans. "We have no reason to hurry back." Here, she was a very different elf than in the woods. She was very happy, very alive.

"Do I have a choice?" Legolas laughed. Her laughter joined his and it echoed throughout the kitchen.

'_My...how his eyes do shine...'_ Rimeril thought.

"Come! I'll show you around," she said with a smile.

"Do you live here alone?" he asked her, marveling at the cleanliness of the house.

"Susan lived with me for a few months. I lived with the old Jeweler here for a couple months before he and his wife died," she shrugged. "But that was nearly 15 years ago. The neighbors never come around. They never really know who lives here now, just 'that young lady'. They have _no_ idea how young I am," she laughed at her own sarcasm. Legolas chuckled as well.

"Did... did Susan ever find out about...?" he trailed off as Rimeril answered his own question.

"She almost did one day. She did wonder why I never seemed to age, or talked about where I came from, who my parents were. She always asked me why my hair was kept down all the time. I could never bring myself to tell her why..."

They passed the modern kitchen, the living room, a room with a huge television, about 20 bedrooms, (or it seemed that way to Legolas), and outside there was a beautifully kept garden and a luxurious pool.

"Your jeweler friends must have been very good at what they did," Legolas commented.

"They loved it, so they were successful. They passed on quite a bit of talent to me, and treated me as a daughter they had never had." She was obviously very fond of them.

"Would you like to swim? Eat? Watch TV?" Rimeril asked. "There is plenty to do here!"

"A swim would be nice. I have not been swimming for a long time!" Legolas replied. Rimeril started to say something and turn around to go get a swim suit on, but stopped in mid sentence.

"Legolas, what are you _doing?_" she asked, flabbergasted.

"I'm going swimming," he replied. He had slipped off his shirt and was unlacing his shoes. "You're coming, aren't you?" he asked casually.

"Yes... but!" she stammered. "Oh fine. I'll be back in a minute!" and she rushed back in through the enormous glass double doors, leaving it open for air to circulate through the house. Legolas, with just blue jeans on, walked silently over to the diving board on one end. He knew what the diving boards did, but he did not enjoy the way that it bounced as he walked to the edge. He bounced 3 times and jumped into a perfect dive.

When his body hit the water, the chill was welcomed by his body. It was a sunny and warm day out, and the water was refreshing and cool. He emerged, taking his hair out of his pony tail and letting it loose.

Rimeril emerged when Legolas wasn't paying attention. She was wearing a bikini that was in a denim pattern. She snuck up to the pool and at the last second, she cannon-balled into the water, splashing Legolas and causing a lot of water to splash over the edge. He turned around and pounced on her, driving her under the water. She squealed and opened her eyes while she was under; Legolas' eyes were open too. His eyes were very much colored as the sea, Rimeril noticed, and seemed to lose themselves in the water. The two elves hovered underwater for what seemed an eternity before surfacing and gasping for air. Legolas' hand found her side, and he squeezed it. She squealed as he tickled her. She retaliated with a tickle as well.

Some pain was still emitting from her arm. She swam to the side of the pool and sat on one of the underwater benches. Legolas swam up with her.

"How is your arm, Rimeril?" he asked her.

"It hurts a little, but the water helps," was her understated answer.

"Good," Legolas replied.

* * *

"What has that girl gotten up to?" asked Mary, standing by the window and watching their neighbor swimming with that long haired boy.

"I don't know," answered Bridget, who joined her friend by the window. Bridget was drying a plate with a towel as she spoke.

"And what is she doing with that long haired man? Laughing and playing as if she were a child," Mary huffed. She had never done that when she was her age.

"Well, Mary, she looks only 20. She can't be that old! She is still a child... should we go talk to her? I mean... we barely even know her! And she's rarely at home," Bridget commented.

"Later, Bridget. We'll go and offer to cook supper for them. I'll phone them now."

* * *

The phone rang. Rimeril exploded out of the water to get to the outdoor phone. Legolas followed suit.

"_Suilad?_ I mean... hello?" she asked into the phone. She cursed herself for catching herself off guard and speaking in elvish... Legolas tuned in and listened, because he could hear every word coming out of the phone.

"_Um... hello, m'dear. Is this the owner of house number 34?_" asked the caller.

"Yes, this is she," Rimeril answered professionally.

"_This is your next door neighbor, Mary Kellerman. I live in number 33,_" said Mary.

"Nice to meet you, Mary," Rimeril said.

"_My dear friend Bridget and I wanted to extend an invitation to you and your... friend... to eat dinner with us tonight,_" Mary sounded as if she didn't like Legolas that much already.

"We would love to eat with you tonight! What time shall we be over?" Rimeril asked.

"_Any time, m'dear. And, miss, what might your name be? I'm afraid I haven't learned it yet,_" Mary asked conversationally.

"My name is Rose," Rimeril answered coolly.

"_Good to meet you, Rose,_" Mary said. And then she hung up.

"That was a bit weird. My neighbors never call me!" Rimeril muttered. She sat down on one of the chairs on the deck, and Legolas sat next to her.

"Maybe it's a sign that you shouldn't be so secluded," Legolas suggested.

"Speak for yourself, Mr. Cabin-In-The-Woods," she muttered. Legolas chuckled.

"You're right. Now... it's almost sun set. I need something to wear to your neighbor's house," Legolas said.

"Oh, yeah..." Rimeril said. "Maybe he left some old clothes downstairs..." she said to herself, walking into the house still dripping water. Legolas followed her inside. She located a basement with lots of boxes and dust. Legolas sneezed as Rimeril dusted off a few boxes and opened them.

"There's a couple pairs of jeans here and some old t-shirts that can't be too embarrassing to wear..." she said as she rustled through the boxes. Her old Jeweler had been pretty fit for his entire life, and his jeans were just a little large. Legolas chose an old white button up shirt. It had a hole in one of the sleeves, but it was comfortable.

"I'm sure that they won't suspect anything..." Rimeril commented. "So what is your human name?" she asked.

"Nothing like your human name which is translated from your real name..." he said with a sigh. He was referring to how Rimeril meant 'Crown of Roses' in their tongue. "Mainly because 'Leaf' would sound ridiculous!" he laughed and then grew more serious. "My name has changed over the centuries... Two thousand years ago, my name was Daniel. One thousand years ago, they called me Jesse. Five hundred years ago, they named me Demetrius, and 300 years ago, I was Philip. For now, I am Taylor."

"Oh yeah... that's what you told that reporter, Elissa Danet!" Rimeril remembered. Legolas nodded and the ascended the steps into the main house again. Rimeril walked into her bedroom and Legolas followed innocently. His hair was wet and tangled, and he intended to find a brush in her bathroom. He told her this, and she disappeared into the bathroom and emerged a moment later with her brush. She walked into the enormous closet and chose blue jeans, like Legolas, and a t-shirt she had picked up at a local concert. When she emerged back out of the closet, Legolas was buttoning his shirt up. His blonde hair was pulled back in a low pony tail that covered his ears. He looked _very_ handsome.

"Toss me the brush, please?" she said. Legolas did so. She turned to the mirror that went from ceiling to floor on one wall and started brushing her silver blonde hair.

"I haven't eaten with mortals in a while," Legolas said. "I might have to remember to speak in English!" he laughed. "I noticed your little mistake earlier on the phone. Good recovery," he complimented.

"It's your entire fault. I haven't spoken in my natural tongue for centuries! I've spoken it to myself when I'm alone, or when I write a note I didn't want Susan to read, or any of my other mortal friends before now. I always told them that it was an ancient language that I learned as a child; and that's even a true statement!"

"I speak to Erebel, Tálter, and the forest animals in Elvish. They seem to understand it, and find comfort in the sounds of the words. It has always been that way, however. None of them ever speak it back, though," he joked.

"I think we should leave... I am sure these two women are expecting us," Rimeril said suddenly.

"A good idea," was Legolas' answer. He followed her out of her bedroom and down the flight of stairs into the main hall. Rimeril grabbed a key and locked the door behind her. They walked over to Number 33 and knocked on the door. Legolas, sensing that this Mary Kellerman did not like him based on his hair length (if there was anything Legolas would _not_ do to blend in, it was cut his hair). So he put on a very sensible look and when who he presumed was Mary opened the door he inclined his head to her.

"Good evening, ma'am," he said. He stuck out his hand to shake hers. "I am Taylor Richtor." '_A good first impression is the key to a pleasant relationship_'. His father's words from his distant childhood echoed through his head.

"Mary Kellerman," Mary said reluctantly. '_So much for the impression_'.

"I'm pleased to meet you," Legolas said politely.

"Thank you so much for having Taylor and I over for dinner. I'm afraid we just got back and we haven't the time to shop for any food yet," Rimeril fluffed.

"It's no problem at all, Rose. It's my pleasure," Mary assured. She led them into the dining room where another lady, presumably Bridget, sat. Introductions were made, and Legolas and Rimeril sat down next to each other on sides of the round wooden table.

"So, you say that you and Taylor were away for a while. Where did you go?"

"Well, Taylor invited me to stay with him at his cabin for a few weeks," Rimeril said. Mary and Bridget glared suspiciously at Legolas.

"And did you have a nice time?" Bridget asked, still eyeing Legolas.

"Unfortunately, I was only there a week," lied Rimeril. "We were swimming in the river, and when I got out, I slipped and fell on a rock and I broke my arm," she said. "Taylor took me to the doctors and then splinted my arm. It was not bad, so I did not have to have a plaster cast put on." Taylor nodded to emphasize the story's truth.

"Oh how awful!" Mary commented.

"I did not want her to be alone with a broken arm in her large and lonely house so I offered to stay with her here," Legolas put in.

"So are you two dating?" Bridget asked outright. Rimeril and Legolas glanced at each other. One look at each other and they knew to play along.

"Yes," Rimeril giggled, finding Legolas' hand and holding it underneath the table. She squeezed it to put emphasis on the words.

Mary looked outright disgusted. She obviously didn't like the idea of any man in this neighborhood having long hair and staying for more than a few days.

"Good, then. You two look happy together," Mary sniffed.

Dinner was a great deal of fun for Legolas and Rimeril from then on. They both got to be able to ham up the role of 'boyfriend and girlfriend' and secretly they knew it disgusted Mary. Bridget on the other hand was quite happy to see two young people in love.

When dinner was over, Bridget asked the two to stay for a board game or a glass of wine, but both declined.

"I have to look after my girl," Legolas said with a wink. Bridget was hard put to contain her glee at this statement and she gladly showed the two to the door. When she shut the door, Legolas and Rimeril walked silently to Rimeril's house, went inside, locked the door, and both burst out laughing.

"That was great!" Legolas howled.

"Yeah!" Rimeril agreed. They both laughed until they felt like all their laughs were used up.

"And I bet she'll tell _all_ the neighbors to beware of 'That prat at number 34, who has the dissatisfactory boyfriend'," Rimeril giggled.

"Well, then it'll be a lie," Legolas said, "And not your problem."

"True..." she said. "And I could just leave and live with you, anyway."

Legolas' eyes glowed. "Would you want to live with me?"

"Well yeah... I don't see why not," Rimeril shrugged. "Come on... let's watch a movie."

Legolas silently followed, elated that Rimeril would trust him after such a short time.

* * *

Late that night, Legolas lay restless in bed. The room Rimeril had leant him was adjacent to her own. Legolas let out a deep sigh, thinking about that girl. He had only met her 2 days ago and his world of boring equilibrium was upset. Not that that was a bad thing. He heaved himself out of bed, wanting fresh air.

There was a balcony that the two rooms shared. Legolas did not want to go to it. He instead climbed 2 more flights of stairs (this house was 3 stories and an attic). He went into the stuffy and dusty attic and opened the window. He climbed out of the window and onto the rooftop with little difficulty. It was simply a matter of climbing a few feet and then hauling yourself up onto the tiled roof.

It was a cloudless night and the moon was a quarter full. Legolas lay back and studied the stars, twinkling merrily above him.

People say that the stars tell the future, that they can decipher what will come in your life and how it will affect you. Legolas had been studying the stars for longer than any mortal scholar, and he understood that they revealed some information, but not sufficient information at all.

Looking at the stars now, what Legolas saw was obvious to him: an upsetting; an upsetting in his life.

_If I had seen this a week ago, I would have laughed,_ Legolas thought. _If only you could tell me what will happen?_ He willed the stars to tell him, but they just winked back at him merrily.

_Thanks a lot_.

Lying there on the rooftop, Legolas finally fell asleep.

From every night forward for three weeks, Legolas slept on the rooftop, marveling at its serenity and calming atmosphere. Rimeril said nothing; perhaps she did not even know about his nighttime place.

During the day, the two would spend time talking, Rimeril would go into the room where the jewel cutting equipment was kept and she would make cut jewels and meld the silver and gold. Legolas would watch her sometimes, loving how sweat would bead up on her face and fall down onto her shirt, how she would cut the rocks with expert precision, how she loved what she did. She even taught Legolas a little. Legolas, however, did not want to do any of it. He just wanted to watch.

When he was not with Rimeril, he explored the house. There was an enormous study with a computer and a large collection of books. He picked up many books, some on history, some science, some fictional books. One morning, he noticed copies of all of Tolkien's works on the topmost shelf. He was on the pretense of retrieving one of them, when Rimeril came in.

"There's a ladder, you know," she said casually, sitting at the desk and watching the show.

"Yes, but this is much more fun," Legolas grunted, reaching to the next shelf and pulling himself up. He grabbed _The Silmarillion_ and _The Hobbit_ and then jumped down, landing catlike on the floor. "Why have you made it so difficult to get our own history books?" he asked.

"I don't know..." Rimeril said, pulling her legs up onto the chair and wrapping her arms around them. "The old Jeweler used to be so fanatical about Tolkien and his works. He was so proud that he actually met him and got a signed copy of the _Lord of the Rings_. He used to tell me and his wife all about Elves, we were his favorite creatures, Hobbits, and about Erü and everything. He got so incredibly close to noticing my ears, noticing how I never aged, everything about me that when he died, I put them on the top shelf and did not think of them again. I always wonder whether John Tolkien had help from one of our kind in writing those books." Legolas was chuckling. "And what exactly do _you _know about such matters?" she snapped. Legolas stopped laughing, but still smiled.

"Well, you're right... he _did_ have a _little_ bit of help..." he said. Rimeril glared at him.

"Did you reveal yourself to him or something?" she asked.

"No... I had just seated myself down on a park bench, and John came by and happened to sit right next to me. He looked troubled, and he told me that he was having trouble being creative and thinking of what to write... so I... helped him out a bit. As for my ears, it was a deformity I've had since I was born." Legolas looked smug.

"You're a sly one," Rimeril said.

"Always and forever!" Legolas winked.

Rimeril had taken her splint off her arm now, and she felt as good as new. However, the memory of her friend's death still did haunt her.

During dinner one Wednesday night, Rimeril had left the TV on so they could hear the news. A message stopped Legolas mid-sentence in a story he was telling Rimeril about the Crusades.

"...One body found in the passenger's seat of a wrecked car. Nobody knows the owner of the car. There was identification of the body, a 28 year old woman by the name of Susan Wells. Scientists found a single long hair on the driver's seat, and what has come out of it is quite a story:

"This hair's DNA coding is very different from any human's DNA. It shows differences in the sensory systems and in the very being of this creature. It almost seems as if this is a super human," a scientist said. By now, Legolas and Rimeril were both in front of the TV.

"If anyone has any information about this "Super Human" please call the number on the bottom of this screen immediately," closed the news anchor.

Rimeril's eyes were wide, and Legolas was in shock. Legolas recovered first and gathered Rimeril up into his arms in a deep hug.

"Should we respond?" Rimeril asked into Legolas' shoulder. Legolas shook his head.

"No, Mellon. I don't think we should. If they find out what we _really_ are, think of what they'd do to us!"

"You don't think I've thought of this already?" she said in an accusing voice. "I've moved all over the world in an effort to stay hidden, and now one hair can blow our cover! Damn modern science!" she cursed.

"Calm down," Legolas soothed. "I think what we need to do is stay _here_. We shouldn't go back to my cabin... if anything, I should move in here," Legolas said. "My house is the only house that is in that part of the woods. They would interrogate me. I should get everything," Legolas decided. He started to stand up, but Rimeril stopped him.

"Please be careful," she said. "And if they find you..." she trailed off.

"I will, don't worry," and with that, Legolas grabbed the keys to his car and sped off to his cabin.

When he arrived there, he found a note on the front door. It read:

_To the occupant of this house: _

_Please call this number as soon as you receive this. Thank you._

And at the bottom of the note were a signature Legolas could barely decipher and a telephone number. He ripped it off the door and ignored it. He whistled to Erebel, who had been perusing for food outside of the cabin. She bounded up to him joyfully, wagging her tail. Legolas let her in and fed her some dog kibble. He found several boxes and started shoving all of his clothing and valuables into it. Unexpectedly, he came across a royal circlet he had not worn for centuries. He paused, looking at it, debating with himself whether or not to overcome what he had ignored for centuries; that he was royal. Finally deciding, he put it in the box as well. He finished within an hour, and he put the boxes in the backseat of his car. He ordered Erebel into the car, and whistled a pattern of shrill whistles.

Tálter whinnied as he obeyed his master. Legolas whispered into the horses' ear in elvish to follow him. Surprisingly, the horse nodded and snorted. Legolas thanked the Valar for the obedience of this creature.

And Legolas was off again, speeding down the road, but always keeping the horse within his vision. It was a sight to all who passed him on the road to see the horse following the car, but they didn't think much of it.

Erebel was restless in the seat next to him. She did not like the car much. He spoke to her calmingly and she did eventually curl up in the seat and fall asleep.

When he reached Rimeril's house, he let Erebel out, and dashed into the house to see that she was all right and that nothing had happened. She was fine. She had actually fallen asleep on the couch while she was waiting for him to return. He smiled at her and kissed her brow, watching her while she slept for a while.

Legolas spent the night in his room, looking at the boxes in his room. He again found the circlet in the box. He put it on. It felt familiar, despite the absence of it for many millennia. At the bottom of a box was a very old cloak and tunic. He slipped on simple pants, the tunic, and the cloak. He braided his hair, and he stood in front of the mirror.

Before him stood not someone who tried to blend in, but a proud Elf prince. Energy surged through him as he felt he _really _remembered who he was. How had he forgotten?

Rimeril peeked at him in his room. He was wearing the traditional elf clothing. She smiled and dashed down the hallway before he saw her. She pulled out a blood red dress and slipped it on. She loved how the feeling of the cloth caressed her body. Elven cloth was amazing; if it was not tampered with, it stayed in perfect condition for thousands of years. She braided her hair up, revealing her pointed ears for what seemed like the first time in a hundred years. She padded down the hallway and leaned in his doorway.

"My prince," she said quietly. He turned and saw her. She was so beautiful...He walked to her and said,

"My lady..." he bowed deeply, his royal personality showing through. "Would you like to ride with me?"

"In the middle of the night?" she asked.

"There is no better time, my lady," he assured. He led her outside into her front yard and whistled for Tálter. He came trotting up to him and nuzzled Legolas' arm. Legolas helped Rimeril up first, and then he mounted in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and Tálter started to walk. Legolas guided him into the forest behind the houses and let Tálter wander.

"You seem so regal, Legolas," whispered Rimeril.

"I have forgotten who I was. I remember now," Legolas said simply.

"What if someone sees us out here?"

"They will think we are angels, and they will doubtfully remember clearly," Legolas assured.

"And how do you know that?" she smiled.

"You are so beautiful, no human would ever believe you are one of them," Legolas said smoothly. Rimeril practically glowed. Where had this charming elf come from?

"And you, my prince, are beautiful as well," she cooed to him.

"That is something I have not heard for years," Legolas said, turning around and looking into her eyes. The moonlight was reflected in each of her blue orbs. "And do you know what I have not done for many years?"

"What?" Rimeril whispered, barely making a sound. Legolas stopped Tálter and got off of the horse. He held up a hand to help Rimeril down, and she accepted, sliding off of the horse.

"This," he said, gathering her up into his arms and pressing his lips against hers.

The initial shock of his kiss wore off in moments. Hungry for more, she took the initiative and deepened the kiss, much to Legolas' enjoyment. They both felt passion kindle up inside them both, a fire that they had not experienced for many, _many_ years. And when they broke apart, their eyes locked and they knew that this was who they had waited for.

"I never want to leave this moment, Legolas," Rimeril whispered.

Legolas kissed her lightly again. "Neither do I," he whispered back. A thought hit him. Why was he still here? "_Im deri an min ai innas penia lain nín"_ he said softly. Rimeril frowned.

"Am I not she?" she asked.

"Yes! Yes, my love, you are!" he said joyfully. "And I have no more waiting to do," he said.

"And neither do I," she agreed. Oh how she enjoyed looking up into his sapphire eyes. She took advantage of the moment and entwined her fingers in his hair, loving the silky feel of it in her fingers. She pulled him to her again and kissed him softly.

And they stayed that way, embraced until the sun had risen.

* * *

From that night on, Rimeril and Legolas reacquainted themselves with the blissful feelings of love. Neither of them had taken a lover for centuries, although both admitted to a few short relationships through the ages, but for a single elf this is normal Elven behavior.

One night, Legolas escaped up to the roof again, gently prying himself from the arms of Rimeril. He climbed up the stairs and through the window, finally clambering up onto the rough tiling. He inhaled the scent of the night, it was cool and clear. He lay on the tiles and closed his eyes. He could not rest, though. He stared at the summer sky again, watching the twinkling stars smile at him. He searched the stars and begged them to reveal something to him.

They showed him the ending of a story, the closure of a very long tale, and the happiness of the years to come. Legolas smiled to himself, knowing that this was the ending for his long, long life of loneliness.

* * *

The whereabouts of the Grey Havens never escaped from the Elves' memories. They always felt the pull of the western waters. Legolas and Rimeril decided they would travel to those shores in the traditional fashion, where they would build a traditional boat and sail into the west.

Rimeril had a lot more to do before she left, unfortunately. She had to sell the house, sell the Jeweler's shop, close several accounts; all this with several other matters. She assured Legolas that she could not simply disappear, because that would leave a mess for nobody to sort out, as she no longer had any close friends.

The house was sold with everything in it more quickly than expected to a family of a young man and wife, with their six young children, and it did not take long to find a lovely couple to run the jeweler's shop. During the time when they were trying to find a respectable owner, Legolas and Rimeril spent a lot of time in the shop. Legolas found it fascinating, and he used his charm to sell a few items to customers.

When all of this was done, Rimeril withdrew every penny from her bank account, (a considerable amount) packed a bag with some elvish clothing and some human clothing (traveling in elvish clothing would look conspicuous), and she and Legolas went to find her a horse, since they decided to travel west on horseback. There was a man about 20 miles outside of town who was willing to sell her any horse of her choice on his farm. He had about thirty horses, he said, and each one was worth every penny. She and Legolas walked around the ranch while the man watched their progress. The man marveled at how the horses, who usually ignored visitors, were all pawing the ground nervously and bowing their heads at these visitors. Many of the shyest horses went up to them and showed off themselves. Rimeril chose a white female horse with one black leg. She mounted the horse without its saddle and rode it around the corral. She came to a stop in front of the owner, who was marveling at this scene.

"How much, sir?" she asked. He named his price. She gave him double, in cash. This practically knocked the man out of his socks.

"Th- thanks, ma'am!" he stammered, looking at the cash with wide eyes.

"No, thank you," Rimeril replied, patting her new horse, whom she decided to call Laureloth _Lily of the Valley_ , after Susan.

"Ma'am, might I ask where you are traveling to?" he asked as she and Legolas mounted the horses.

"We're going West," Legolas answered cryptically.

"Anywhere in particular? I can recommend..."

"We have our destination, and we will not return," Rimeril said. The man said goodbye. Rimeril smiled warmly at Legolas and they both nudged their horses to a canter, almost feeling free of human bonds forever.

* * *

It was a long journey from that secluded ranch. They rode during the day, generally avoiding large roads. They did not push for time, and they stopped for the night, sometimes sleeping under the stars and sometimes in small inns.

By the time that they had reached the western shore, they were both so excited to be leaving.

"The sea," Rimeril whispered as they crested a hill.

"I felt the sea's call so long ago," Legolas said, completely entranced by the waves rhythmic crashing. "I don't know how I have lived so long without crossing over..." he said thoughtfully.

"I lived on the seafront for a year, but I found that I couldn't get anything done, because I would stand in the water, wondering what was beyond my sight for hours," Rimeril said with a soft chuckle. "Ever since then I have stayed inland."

Legolas focused on Rimeril and took her hand with a smile. "Let us go," he said, kissing the inside her hand lightly.

In town, they stumbled upon a carpenter's shop. Legolas stopped in front of it and told Rimeril to stay outside and wait. He entered the shop and was blasted by the sound of wood being sawed by electrical saws. The air was thick with sawdust everywhere. Legolas asked a man who didn't look too busy for the manager.

"Sir," Legolas shook the man's, (Stan Rigford, or so read his nametag), hand once he had entered an office. There were windows all around so that Mr. Rigford could observe his employees working.

"What would a young man like you want?" Mr. Rigford asked. Legolas inwardly sniggered at the mention of 'young'.

"I believe you were looking for an able carpenter," Legolas said. "I can be of service for the summer."

"I see..." Mr. Rigford said to himself. "How long have you been a carpenter?" he asked, eyeing Legolas with his beetle black eyes.

The truth would, of course, be many thousands of years, but Legolas could not say that. "My father was a carpenter; he started to teach me when I was tall enough to see over the machinery," he lied smoothly.

"Alright, boy. What's your name?" Mr. Rigford asked.

"I have many names. Whatever you call me shall be my name." One more Earthen name couldn't hurt. Taylor was getting boring already... he'd been using it for fifty years or so.

Mr. Rigford looked taken aback. "Marcus," he decided after a minute or two.

"As you wish, sir," Legolas, now Marcus, nodded.

"I expect you to work from 8 to 6. One hour lunch break at 1. Monday to Friday," Mr. Rigford said, shuffling papers. "You may leave now. You start tomorrow."

Legolas, beaming, left the carpentry shop. Rimeril smiled when she saw him emerge.

"What did you do?" she asked as he mounted Tálter. She leaned over to him to brush some sawdust out of his hair.

"I got a job," Legolas answered.

"A job?" Rimeril exclaimed. "I thought we were leaving!"

"Meleth nín," he cooed, looking at her with soft eyes. "I will build us the best boat you've ever seen to travel across the sea to our home," his words were entrancing. "We should find you a job too... a jewelry shop perhaps?" Legolas smiled. Rimeril nodded eagerly. She already missed the precision that making jewelry offered her.

They rode through the small coastal town. It was a very small town, having quaint little shops and restaurants lined along the streets. Legolas and Rimeril stopped and rented a small sea cottage because they had to stay somewhere while Legolas built their boat.

There was one jewelry shop in this tiny town. Rimeril went inside by herself and asked for the owner. A young woman looking about 20 came out of a back room, pulling off some gloves and holding out a hand to shake Rimeril's hand.

"Good afternoon, miss. How can I help you?" she asked with a smile. She looked very sweet. Rimeril couldn't hide her shock that a woman so young owned a shop. "Is there anything in particular you are looking to buy?"

"I am not here to buy, Miss. I am here to ask for a job?" Rimeril asked, leaning against a counter and searching the girl's eyes.

"I'm not particularly looking to hire anyone," the woman answered. "But I honestly could do with some help around here... the last holiday season wiped out some of the best jewelry," she chuckled to herself. "But I don't suppose you can actually _make_ the jewelry, can you? Hardly anyone can, these days..." she concluded. She barely gave Rimeril time to speak.

"Actually, yes. I can make jewelry. I made this," she said, pulling out of her shirt a small pendant she had made a century or so ago. It was of a flowering rose made of dark pink jewels set into a crown. It mimicked her name, which meant Crown of Roses. The woman gasped and took it in her hands.

"This is beautifully made! And look at the cuttings on those gems... You are hired, girl!" she said happily, holding it under a magnifying glass she took out of her pocket. "When can you start?" she asked eagerly.

"Any time, miss," Rimeril beamed.

"I will finally be able to take some time off!" the woman practically danced. "Oh, by the way, my name is Katrina," she said.

"Rose," Rimeril responded. They shook hands again, and Katrina started showing Rimeril around the shop. She took her into the back room and started telling Rimeril the history of the shop.

"My father was obsessive about jewelry. He loved to buy it, he loved to make it. I was brought up making little trinkets out of the scraps of his own jewelry. He died about a year ago, of cancer, so I took over the shop," Katrina and Rimeril stepped out of the back room again, and discovered that someone had entered the shop. Katrina turned into a salesperson seamlessly and started bantering about jewelry to the customer, who purchased a cross necklace inlaid with a diamond shaped as a dove.

"Nice sale," Rimeril complimented as the door shut. Katrina switched into a regular 21-year-old as fast and as smoothly as she had turned into a saleswoman.

"You'll learn fast... I've been learning all my life," Katrina waved the compliment aside. "Want to start tomorrow? We open at 9, I never like getting out of bed earlier than I have to, and close at 7. Be here around 2 and then you can close up at 7. We'll split the hours. But tomorrow I would like to see you sell something, so I'll stay later. Fill this out tonight and I'll see you tomorrow, then," Katrina handed her a stack of papers.

"Bye." The girls shook hands and Rimeril left the shop. She met Legolas in the road and mounted her horse. They ate a quiet dinner at a small restaurant and then rode home for the night.

* * *

Late that night, Legolas rose from the bed he and Rimeril shared and he padded out the door, seeking solitude from his dream. He had dreamed about a stormy ocean, of trying to sail that ocean, and watching helplessly as Rimeril was tossed into the merciless waves. He was unable to save her. What did this mean? Was this a warning of what was to come?

He knew that life was difficult... there was no doubt about this. But he didn't want to deal with anything that would come... he thought that it was smooth sailing from now on. He and Rimeril were so close, so _incredibly _close to their homeland after waiting for so long.

But if he had to, he would bear the storm on his shoulders... for Rimeril; for their future.

* * *

Five months passed, and Legolas' boat was almost ready. He spent hours working on it. All his time off, and sometimes all night. He seemed anxious, Rimeril noticed, and he wouldn't speak of what was wrong. It was as if he thought that if he didn't acknowledge it, it didn't exist.

Rimeril and Katrina quickly became good friends. The store, like the seafront town, was quiet. Often, Rimeril would be alone in the store, and so she would sit in the back room and create beautiful and intricate designs for necklaces. Katrina was thrilled with her work, even offered her duel-ownership of the shop, but when Rimeril said that she and Legolas would be leaving soon, you could practically smell the disappointment that Katrina felt.

It was all Rimeril and Legolas ever wanted: to leave the mortal world and enter their Haven, but as the time drew out farther and farther, Rimeril became quite attached to the people in the small town. Inside of here there was a constant battle between the love of the mortals and their world and the desire to see her family again. She had functioned in this world for so long, she wasn't sure how she would react to an entirely Elven world again.

She voiced her doubts to Legolas one night while she was sitting watching Legolas build their boat. "I'm not sure I want to leave, Legolas..." she said quietly and shyly, already thinking that she should have said nothing.

Legolas, who was dirty and sweaty from hammering and sawing, set down his tools and walked over to her. "What do you mean, _meleth nin_?" he asked curiously.

"I'm... afraid, really. Afraid of what has changed, afraid of what has not. I wasn't exactly the friendliest to my father... why do you think I stayed behind? I wasn't ready to leave, and then I never wanted to face him. I never thought about leaving again, never thought of leaving so soon... and now it's so close... and I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid, Rimeril. Please don't doubt this. We are doing the right thing by leaving. We should not circulate in this world anymore, for we have long overstayed. We belong with our people. And about your father... I am sure that he will have missed you so much that he will be thrilled at your arrival," Legolas assured. "I can't guarantee anything, _meleth_... just my love."

Rimeril kissed him sweetly. "Thank you, Legolas," she said. Her doubts were not erased, just temporarily doused.

"You have me, Rimeril, you have my support. I will protect you," Legolas smiled at her. This was exactly what Rimeril wanted to hear from him.

"How do you always say the right thing?"

"Practice," Legolas chuckled.

* * *

"I cannot believe it."

"I know, love..."

The boat, christened _i'Medui Pen_ (_The Last One), _was finished and floating happily in the harbor. Every one of the belongings that Legolas and Rimeril had with them was packed in wooden trunks that were already stowed, and all that was left was to say goodbye to their friends.

Katrina was standing amongst the many people from the small coastal town who were standing on the dock to farewell the couple. Everyone had been watching Legolas build this boat, and everyone had heard of their journey that they were making _i'Medui Pen_'s sails were being unfurled, and the boat began tugging away from the dock.

Legolas wandered through the crowd and Rimeril said goodbye to Katrina.

"Farewell, Katrina," Rimeril said. "I will not return here."

"Goodbye, Rose," Katrina said, tearing up. "You are always welcome back."

"I know," Rimeril said, feeling the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes too. She slipped a ring off her finger, a rose-colored stone embedded in a leaf, and handed it to Katrina. "Take this as a token of my friendship. Always remember me," Rimeril smiled, and came face to face with Legolas.

"It is time, _meleth_," he said softly and solemnly.

"Yes, of course," Rimeril said. "Goodbye, Katrina. You have been a good friend to me." Katrina slipped the ring on her finger and smiled tearfully.

"Thank you, Rose. I will remember you, I promise. You sound like you're going to another world from which you'll never return," she chuckled.

"You have no idea."

* * *

It took months. Rimeril had no idea it would take so long, but the boat was well stocked; Legolas had made sure of that. The days and nights blurred together, and Rimeril felt she would forever stare at water with no end. They occasionally stopped at a island to re-stock, but soon the islands were no more.

"Legolas, I see land!" Rimeril said, peering through the dim. It was night, nearly dawn, and she could barely make out a darker shape against the rapidly lightening horizon. Finally! Land! Rimeril became excited at the prospect of another Pacific island, full of culture and good food.

"That's not just land, Meleth nin," Legolas said, coming up to the front with her. "That's home!" he exclaimed, picking her up and twirling her around. He set her down and kissed her deeply and passionately.

"Home," Rimeril sighed, turning and looking again. "Finally, home." She smiled widely.

"We're finally here," Legolas agreed. "And I am arriving with the one love of my life." He turned to her and bent down onto one knee. He pulled a ring out of his pocket. "I've been waiting for this moment for months, Rimeril, for _years_. I know you are the one I want to be with forever... will you marry me?"

Rimeril put a hand to her mouth and gasped happily. "Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes!" Legolas slipped the ring onto her finger, picked her up, and twirled her around again.

"I love you," he said, holding her close.

"I love you too... forever."

**_THE END... _ **

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A/N: Enjoy? I hope everyone did. I know it was long, it drew out to be 28 pages in Word...

Do review, but don't review if you're going to trash me. I'll just laugh at you.

And for anyone who read my Guardians of Time story, I'm in the process of writing another one! So look for that within the next month or two!

Farewell, faithful readers!

-Ivy


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